How to become indispensable at work

For many employees, feeling valued in the workplace often leads to increased productivity and satisfaction overall.  

But how can you make yourself indispensible at work? Often, simple things like being positive and polite, taking feedback when it’s given, or being reliable are all great and simple ways of being a star employee. Here are some of our other tips:

Be seriously reliable

Reliability isn’t just about showing up on time. It’s about being there when things get tough, so helping out in a difficult situation will show that you’re more reliable than the average employee. That said, you shouldn’t feel that you are being taken advantage of so select opportunities to shine when it really counts. 

Make your boss’ job easier

If you’re making your boss' job easier, then he/she is likely to fight to keep you if it was ever in debate. Having someone influential on your side at work is very important. If they see you as a person who makes their job easier and their team look good, they’ll often be on your side. Try and find a gap in skills so that there are things you can do that your boss can’t. The more heavily your boss relies on you, the more indispensable you become.

Work on key projects

Focus on and prioritise work that is most important, not the work that is easiest to do. This will help build your profile within the business. Volunteering for projects that other employees don’t want to do will ensure that you are seen as a dedicated go-getter and a valuable member of the team.

Be the expert...

Become the go-to person for your area. Monopolise a particular skill. Find a task that needs to get done and make sure that you are the person who knows how to do it best. Having a USP, as well as expanding your skills, will likely guarantee that you are indispensable at work.

... But share knowledge too

While it’s worth positioning yourself as an expert with niche knowledge and skills, it’s also important you can share your expertise with your team and add value to the wider department. Be willing to educate others and gain yourself a status as an invaluable training asset.

Build relationships with key decision makers

Being connected and building relationships with people who matter in the business can not only make you indispensable in your current role, but can take you a long way in your career.  But, when it comes to building relationships, it is important to remain authentic. Be sincere in the way that you approach others. Instead of adopting a “what can they do for me?” mindset, ask yourself what is it you can do to help solve their problems.

Offer solutions

Managers usually don’t want problems. They want solutions. So if you want to be indispensable, you need to find ways to solve problems faced by the business. When you overhear your colleagues complaining about something that isn’t working, figure out how to fix it and you’ll increase your value to your manager and to the company as a whole.

Click here to read more on how you can identify your next career opportunity.